Gaining of a daughter
by zibbssecretlovechild
Summary: PREVIOUSLY NAMED : MY LITTLE GIRL. When something happens at a crime scene the teams lives are changed forever. De-age fic.
1. Chapter 1

**So recently I've read alot of tics where the team have turned into kids and have been inspired to try my hand at it. This goes against my norm as this will be Gibbs and Ziva as father/daughter. There will also be lots of brotherly love from Tony and Tim, and spoiling from aunty Abby obviously. I realise this chapter holds little speech but I needed to lay the foundation's of the story first. Hopefully you like and if yyou'd like to read more let me know Xxx P.S. You know that review button likes to be touched ;)**

The team were in the charger, their fearless leader at the wheel, McGee riding shotgun and Ziva and Tony in the back, bickering like small children as per usual. Mcgee was listening in and couldn't help but chuckle at their words - they were arguing over whose fault it was that Gibbs coffee ended up in a puddle on the floor. Thus resulting in the silent treatment they now found themselves on the receiving end of (after some rather hard head slaps of course). Obviously Ziva said it was Tony's fault whilst Tony was adamant it was Zivas. Truth was it was both their faults in equal measure, they were wrestling infront of the elevator. When the metal doors had opened Tony had knocked Ziva backwards, sending both her, Gibbs and most importantly, the coffee, to the ground.

The bickering was not helping their situation, it was just further aggravating Gibbs already foul mood. His piercing blue eyes were staring daggers into the back of the car through his drivers mirror, the two quickly quieted down, lowering there eyes to avoid the piercing gaze. The sooner they got to the suspects house the better.

The case they were currently working on had been hard on all of them, three bodies that had basically had the equivalent of an autopsy, problem was the autopsy had begun when they were still alive, resulting in what must have been an excruciatingly painful death. All of their leads had led from one dead end to another, and Gibbs had been getting angrier and angrier as the day's had past. Luckily for them, shortly after the coffee incident Abby had pulled through and had matched a chemical from one of the body's as a specially designed formula that had been created by a top class scientist. A scientist that had gone awol and by all accounts had been acting rather strange in the run up to the murders. To add to the gravity of the situation said scientist had been working on some rather shady things in their personal time, Abby had assured them that most of the formulas and such they had found in the notebook from the scientists home had been nonsense that couldn't possibly work. The fact that all of the work couldn't be possible just assured them that they were dealing with a wacko. Wackos were not predictable, and unpredictable situations were dangerous.

They'd managed to find where the scientist was hiding out, it was a large privately owned cabin that had been built and designed by the man himself. They were all geared up with their guns and vests, prepared for any situation that was about to unfold. As they pulled up a short distance away, warrant in hand, Gibbs gave them instructions on how to proceed, the first words he'd spoken to both Ziva and Tony since they'd knocked his coffee.

"You two take the front, me and McGee will take the back, clear each room and get this son of a b". At the nod of affirmation the two pairs set of to their dictated destinations. Guns held in front of them, both pairs counted down, able to hear the others through their earpieces, "3,2,1!". Two kicks and both doors were through, Ziva taking front centre with Tony behind her, whilst Gibbs and McGee did the same. Simultaneous shouts of "NCIS freeze, come out with your hands up!", resonated throughout the cabin, if the scientist was here however he didn't do as ordered.

When no movements were made the two pairs went on to search and clear the rooms. When all the rooms came up empty the group met in a large sideroom where a table was littered with papers. There were whiteboards attached to one of the walls, a row of them, each full of scrawling black writing of formulas and codes. Along another wall was a bookcase that looked to be holding a small library, Ziva slouched back against it, looking on in interest as Gibbs rifled through the papers. Tony took up a stance next to her as McGee leant against the window behind the desk.

" All of the evidence indicated that he was here, what now?". Zivas question was met by a scowl directed at her through fierce blue eyes, obviously she was still in the bosses bad books. "We'll examine this room, Tony bag and tag, McGee photos, you sketch then help Dinozzo". His answer was short and abrupt, the way he was taking his anger out on her and Dinozzo was really starting to hurt her, fair enough rule 23 and all but he'd been short tempered with them ever since this case had started. She loved him more than her own father, in her mind he WAS her father, yet he was being like this. Gibbs was walking out of the rooom, and Tony and McGee were getting ready to get on with let out an audible sigh and made to move away from the bookcase to get on with her assigned task as well when suddenly the bookcase shifted.

The part of the bookcase that Ziva was leant on lurched backwards, shifting into a hidden room. The momentum and shock of the unexpected action caused her to tumble onto the floor in a rather ungraceful heap. Before anyone had time to even register the turn of events their suspect had come out of the shadows if the concealed room and hauled Ziva onto her feet. A man that stood at 5'10, with a mop of grey hair and a rather poor excuse of a beard. His eyebrows were bushy and unkept, his wild green eyes darted from person to person. With his grip tight around her neck he brought his other hand up to her throat, a syringewas held in it and to the uneasiness of the team he rested its needle against the vein pulsing strongly in her slender neck. Realising that he had the upper hand at the moment,the suspect - Marco Polentsy - smirked, looking from Gibbs to Tony, to McGee then back to Gibbs, intuition telling him that he was the person in charge.

All three agents before him had their guns pointed at him, wary eyes upon the strange liquid inside the syringe against their colleagues throat.

"Drop your weapon and let her go". Gibbs authoritative voice held just a hint of strain, barely managing to mask the utter fear that had his heart locked in an icy grip. The scientist shook his head in defiance, he wasn't going to go to prison, the world didn't know of his brilliance, he wouldnt go down easily, not when his plans had been foiled so soon. To add to his defiance Marco pressed the syringe harder, the tip of the needle scratching sharply at Zivas throat. Unable to play the role of victim for very long, Ziva tried to reach inconspicuously for the gun at her waist, unfortunately for her Marco noticed. " Oh sweetheart I wouldn't do that if I was you, his grip on her tightened, his fingers bruising around her neck as his other hand put pressure on the needle, causing a drop of blood to run slowly down her neck. Luckily the liquid wouldn't release unless Marco pressed down on the plastic holder, which he wasn't doing - yet. Ziva wasn't stupid however and decided to let her team handle this.

Gibbs blood ran cold as he watched the blood trickle down Zivas throat, his daughter -for all intents and purposes - was in real danger now. Her chchocolate brown orbs locked onto his own glacier blue, silently pleading with him to get her out of this.

"Why are you doing this Marco? You're just making this worse for yourself". The scientists knuckles flexed in agitation, causing more restriction to Zivas breathing, which was getting increasingly difficult the tighter he held on. "My experiments are important, I've discovered something that was believed impossible, and those fools we're going to stop me, they got in my way. Just like you are now!" - with this Marco pressed down on the plastic casing, shooting the unidentified substance straight into Zivas veins. He released her and tried to make a break for it. "Don't shoot we need him alive!" -Gibbs ordered, shouting at his two agents just in time from putting a bullet through the scientists skull. Luckily for the team Marco was not very fast, giving Tony time to tackle him to the floor and cuff him.

Meanwhile Gibbs had headed straight for Ziva, who hadn't gotten up from the floor. His breathing was erratic, terrified for his daughter, maybe not by blood but in his heart that is what she was. This week he'd been harsh and distant, the stress of the case making him take it out on those around him, those he loved. He sent a prayer to God to let her be ok, let her be alive.

He knelt next to her as McGee phoned for an ambulance, shaking hands reaching to check for a pulse, he released a breath of relief when he found one. "Boss?", Tonys voice held all the concern and fear he was feeling, his best friend, little sister, had to be ok! "She has a pulse" the relief in his voice was palpable and collective among the men at his declaration. "Medics are on their way boss" McGee informed dutifully, glowering in Marcos direction. "She won't die, if she died no one would know of my genius" with this Tony grabbed the man by the scruff of the neck and roughly slammed him down. " You too take him to interrogation, meet me at Bethesda, get another team here to take over aswell" whilst giving his orders he was stroking Zivas hair, hoping that this small action would give comfort to her subconscious and Tim nodded and after assurances that he would see them soon and keep them updated they headed out to wait in another room for a team to show up and take care of their new crime scene, leaving room for the arriving medics to do their work.

The last hour had been a whirlwind of pure panic and shock. Ziva had remained completely comatose throughout her checks from the attending medics and the ride to the hospital - this had done nothing to ease the foreboding feeling that seemed to have taken residence in Gibbs gut, something was seriously wrong, they had no clue whatsoever as to what was in that syringe. Of what damage it could be wrecking inside her small frame. The medics had noted that her heart beat was irregular and her pulse rate was alarmingly high, and that it was increasing with each passing minute. They'd made it to Bethesda in record time with the help of the flashing lights that parted traffic like Moses and the red sea. A team of doctors and nurses had been waiting upon their arrival and had whisked her through, with Gibbs maintaining a tight grip upon her small slender hand. As they'd gotten her into a room however that was when everything started to happen. The machines they'd hooked her to had started to go haywire, with beeps and buzzes coming from all over. Then the extraordinary began to happen, he'd looked upon helplessly as Ziva began to change. A golden hue had surrounded her skin, then her features began to regress and soften, becoming younger and younger with each blink of his eyes. The doctors had stood in a stunned stupor, no one daring to breath as the scene before them continued to progress.

Her hair had began to shorten and lighten all at once, her curls reforming as it did so. Her nose had shrunk and her lips became more rosy and pouty, her cheeks seemed to both sink, shrink and fill out all at once as her arms and legs seemed to disappear back into her body. Gibbs leaned over her, rubbing his eyes and pinching his wrist to double check that what had just occurred had definitely been real. In the hospital bed before him, hooked up to once again calm machines and monitors, was a child. An absolutely beautiful child at that, with chocolate brunette curls and rosy pouting lips. Golden skin and cherub cheeks, small palms and tiny feet, complete with a cute button nose and flittering eyelashes, was a child, not just any child, Ziva. She looked to be all of 2, and from the pictures he'd seen in one of her albums there wasn't a snowballs chance in hell that this wasn't her. Especially as he'd just witnessed it himself, along with team of doctors and nurses. After that chaos had ensued as the doctors rushed forward to check machines and marvel at the miracle they had just witnessed. Gibbs had immediately called the director to the hospital, he hadn't believed him until he walked in and saw her himself, then watched the cctv footage that had captured the whole thing. After confiscating the tape and ensuring all present signed a confidential contract to keep this secret Ziva had been moved to a children's ward and signed over into the care of Gibbs - after he had been assured that now she was only sleeping, nothing was wrong apart from the obvious.

The team had turned up, Abby and Ducky in tow, just in time to watch the cctv footage and be filled in by Vance. They were now all in the waiting room, waiting to see Ziva or the baby as Abby had already taken to referring to her as. She was still asleep, with Gibbs now seemingly enormous hand encasing her tiny palm within his own, rubbing circles against her soft skin. One hand was toying with her curls and he dressed a tender kiss against her forehead. He had no idea how to proceed here, would she remember, Abby had read the scientists notes and apparently whilst retaining memories, it would only be the memories up until the age that she now found herself. The notes said that the solution erased 25 years, following the current date that would make her 2, 3 in a couple of months. Vance was currently sorting papers to make Gibbs her legal guardian, after Gibbs had insisted upon it, point blank refusing to hand her over to the state. The notes had also stated that the solution was irreversible, meaning that she would mow be his to raise until she was an adult. There were alot of changes that were about to be made in his life, and secretly he couldn't wait.


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow! Thankyou so much for the follows and the reviews. To the guests that said this is a copy of other fics I'm trying my hardest to make this different, so bare with me.**

Night had now fallen. Gibbs hadn't left the still sleeping Zivas side, unwilling to leave his young charge for even a few seconds. The team had been supplying him with coffee via the nurses that were coming and going.

Abby was getting restless, ever since she learnt of the situation she'd been desperate to see Ziva, she was super excited - sure it sucked that her friend was now a toddler but nobody could deny that she'd had a rather crappy childhood. She had a chance to re-do it now though, with Gibbs acting as her father it was sure to be great. They both deserved this, which is why Abby was so positive. The waiting was getting on her nerves though, she wasn't allowed into the hospital room till Ziva had woken up. She was a little worried how the small child would react, after all she wouldn't know any of them. At least she'd understand what they were saying though, Ziva told her ages ago that her mother had insisted on both English and Hebrew as a first language, making her a very young bi-lingual speaker. Luckily for them.

"How are we going to explain this to her? Who we are and where she is?". Tonys voice held all of the uncertainty he was feeling about the situation. The most likely outcome when Ziva awoke would be a confused and screaming child wanting her parent's - which wasn't an option.

"We tell her that her parents were caught in an explosion and she's staying with us now." Vance had entered the corridor just in time to hear Tony, luckily he'd already thought everything out.

"She's two, she won't understand that!".

"Agent McGee, she is Eli David's daughter, she understood the dangers of her country before she could even walk. She's going to be smart for her age, if her old doctors notes are withstanding. And I know for a fact that she was told from the moment she was speaking of the possibility of being sent away if something happened to her parents. I highly doubt we'll have much of a problem."

The team were shocked at this information, so Ziva had been brought up knowing straight away about death? Maybe this was a good thing, she'd have a chance of a fun childhood with Gibbs, the chance to actually act like a child. Plus she's have all of them to play with her, take her places, spoil her and most importantly she'd have their unconditional love. Whilst Tony and Tim were processing the directors words Vance made to head into the room containing the now shrunk agent. Abbys sharp eyes noticed the bundle of papers in his hands as he past her, "Sir, what are those?". The shock of his answered reply left all three of them stunned. "Adoption papers". With that he headed through the door, closing it behind him.

As he entered the room his eyes were drawn to the little girl snuggled under the sheets. She'd rolled onto her side, drawn her knees up to her chest and had stuck her thumb in her mouth. He smiled at the sight, then averted his eyes to the man next to the bed. His eyes were closed, head leant back on the chair, yet he retained his grip on her other hand. Anchoring himself to the small girl.

"Leon." He should have known that he wouldn't be sleeping, not when he was in unfamiliar surroundings with so many people coming in and out. One glacial eye opened to squint at him, eyebrows raised questionably. Vance moved forward till he was beside his team leader, setting the papers down on the sleeping child's bed.

"You sure you want to do this Gibbs? It'll be a lifelong commitment raising her, you'll have to reorder your life for her. Are you willing to do that?"

At his question Gibbs sat up, his gaze unwavering, "Wouldn't have said it if I didn't want to do it, director."

"Well that's good enough for me". He picked his discarded papers up and handed them to Gibbs, pointing to four points on the page he ordered "sign here". He handed his pen to Gibbs, who took it and signed the relevant point without questioning just what he was giving his signature for.

"She's officially yours now Gibbs, congratulations", Leon pointed to the header of the page that stated: Adoption papers. A large smile overtook Gibbs face at the unexpected surge of pride and love he felt upon learning what had transpired. Leon then pulled another piece of paper from behind the other, it was a petition of name change.

"The relevant people have been made aware of what's happened, they've all signed contracts that prevent them speaking about it to anyone else. However saying that I'm thinking it'd be alot safer for Ziva if you suddenly turn up with a Gibbs rather than a David - it's your call".

Gibbs thought this through, obviously Ziva would be around ncis, people would know within the building who she was by her first name, but they could pass it off to outsiders that she'd been named after Ziva the agent. This would be more believable if her last name was different. With these thoughts in mind he filled out the forms, officially giving Ziva his last name. She was 100% his now. Jesus. He officially was a father, his eyes were drawn to the gorgeous little girl whose hand he held so tightly, Ziva was now his daughter. Officially family.

Vance lingered for a few minutes before disappearing with the forms, on his way out he asked Abby to go pick up some clothes for Ziva, in all likelihood she'd be released tomorrow. All they had that fit her was her current attire - an open backed hospital gown. Abby left in search of the perfect first outfit, leaving Tony and Tim to recline in the chairs and slip into a restless sleep.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A soft whimpering brought Gibbs back into the land of consciousness.

"Mummy, Aba".

The soft wail coming from Ziva broke his heart a little, he moved closer to her, bringing his hand up to stroke her hair.

"Shhhhhh sweetheart, your okay, your safe now".

He purposely used the word safe, Vance had already filled him in on the planned explanation as to why the young child was suddenly in the care of people that she couldn't remember ever knowing. Zivas scared brown eyes met his own, her face displaying every ounce of fear that she felt at finding herself in a strange room with a strange man.

"Mummy!"

She was slowly becoming hysterical, leaving a dismayed Gibbs floundering at how to handle this. He slowly sat down on the bed beside her, carefully pulling her struggling form against his side, softly stroking her hair.

"Oh sweetheart. I know your scared." Ziva, whilst still crying, raised her face to look up at his own, intently listening to this kind stranger. "Mummy and Aba were hurt badly. So bad that they can't come back. They wanted you to be safe so they sent you here, to America. I'm Gibbs, your going to live with me now princess". Ziva seemed to consider his words before leaning heavily against him, her small fists coming up against her face as she cried harder. They sat Like that for minutes, her shoulders heaving as she sobbed. His hand slowly rubbing her back, offering her comfort. Once she'd cried herself to the brink of exhaustion she looked up at him. He had a kind face, she thought. "Mummy and aba awre dead awrent they?"

His first thought was that her English was very good for a two year old, her pronunciations making him internally grin, however her words were saddening. The understanding that she seemed to possess shocked him, even though Vance had explained that she'd been raised knowing of the possibility of her parents been killed. As sad as this was it could work to make the transition into her 'new' life alot easier. He pulled her onto his lap and nodded his head. She heaved a huge sigh and snuggled into him, tears soaking into his shirt.

Words muffled against him, she asked, "what is yowre name?".

"Gibbs."

"Am I living wivth you fowrever?"

"Until your a grown up."

"hmmph, tats a long time."

Her declaration made him smile, glad that she was taking this so well, Vance had been right, she was a smart kid.

"It is huh".

"Mmmmm", she pushed away from him, bracing herself on her knees and looking straight into his eyes, her own were puffy from her tears.

"Doest tat mean your gonna be my daddy?, your not allowed to be aba doe!"

The absolute seriousness of her words caused him to laugh, she looked quizzically at him, waiting on his answer.

"I'm gonna look after you, if you ever want me as your daddy, I will be." He hoped his answer was what she wanted, he didn't want to upset her.

"A daddy, not aba?".

"Yep if you wanted I'd be daddy, not aba".

"Ise got a aba, but you could be ma new daddy ibbs". His heart surged with love for the tiny girl on his lap, overcome with emotion he pulled her into a tight embrace. Her tiny arms carefully returned the hug, head squished to his chest. She decided she liked her new daddy.

**So guys, that's the second chapter, hoped that was okay. Remember to leave a review and let me know your opinions. Also one of the stories that inspired me : when Ziva regresses written by Fee4444 is still ongoing and is absolutely brilliant, so I suggest you check that out :) until next time xx**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks a bunch guys for all of the favourites, follows and reviews - they make me smile. I'm not overly happy with this chapter but hopefully you enjoy it xx**

Abby returned within a few hours, bag of clothes in hand. She smiled at the sight of Tony and Tim leant against eachother, mouths agape as soft snores carried through the small waiting room. Quietly she withdrew her phone and snapped a sneaky picture of them, unwilling to miss an opportunity to gain leverage over them. She sent a copy to her work email, making a mental note to use it as one of her many computers screen saver.

Whilst she'd been out shopping she'd phoned Ducky, rather concerned at the lack of his presence at the hospital. He'd informed her that he would be in first thing in the morning, he'd intended to wait with the rest of the team however his mother had taken a funny turn and was currently under the impression that world war three was currently underway. They'd both talked about the inevitable changes that were sure to come from this event, the team would require a new member - something that neither looked forward to. There was also the fact that Gibbs would have to cut back his hours since he now had a young child in his care. Probably the most important however,was that Ziva as they'd known and loved now ceased to exist, replaced by a toddler who had no knowledge of them. They'd miss her, as would Tony and Tim, probably the whole NCIS agency and beyond would feel the effect of her no longer been around. Even though technically she was still with them. They'd both agreed that the joy that baby Ziva was bound to bring would counteract the loss they would feel at the loss of her adult self, they just had to get accustomed to the change.

Peering through the window into the tiny tots room, she couldn't help but let out a little squeal. She could see Gibbs sat on the side of the bed, the baby (in Abbys head that nickname had stuck) was on his lap, facing him. He was talking to her, the littlest girls attention was held by whatever he was saying. Focusing her own attention on the team leaders lips to discern what was being said, she smiled. - And the beautiful princess ran down the candy hill and chased the unicorn - he was telling her a story! She couldn't contain her squeal at the cuteness of the scene, this squeal alerting her presence to the two sleeping men and the occupants of the room she was currently viewing.

Zivas head swung round at the sound, her tiny palm gripping Gibbs shirts tightly. When her eyes landed on the person who had created that sound she leaned further into her new daddy, the strange woman's appearance scaring her. She'd never seen a lady with black make-up like that, or with spikes around her neck. She let out a tiny whimper and screwed her eyes shut, was that lady a monster? She did have black drawings on her skin, and black lips. Ziva started crying, pulling back from Gibbs, trying to put as much distance between herself and the scary pale black lady.

Gibbs looked from Abby to the crying toddler who moments ago had been entranced by his made up story.

"Hey now princess, what's the matter?"

The pitiful wail that was coming from her let him know that she was scared.

"Ders a monsta!"

Gibbs looked at her in confusion, before it dawned on him. Ziva would never have seen anyone who dressed or had an appearance like Abby, he doubted she'd have seen anything like her before. He carefully placed his arms around her, pulling her onto his lap. He then looked over his shoulder at the viewing window, where all three of the waiting agents were looking on at the scene, distress at seeing the girl so upset clear in their eyes. He motioned with one hand behind Zivas back for them to enter the room.

"That's not a monster princess, that's my very good friend Abby. She's really nice and she's brought you a present, see". He turned her small body to face Abby, she refused to open her eyes though.

"Hey there baby, you wanna see what I got you?". Ziva slowly opened her eyes, warily looking over the women. She wore funny boots, a short skirt and a black t-shirt, her skin had lots of paintings on. Her eyes then landed on the large bag in Abbys hands. She rose her face to look into the women's eyes, she looked kind, and Gibbs said she was nice, but...

Abby took a step closer, looking at Gibbs to see if she was doing the right thing. At his subtle head nod she continued until she was by Ziva, she then sat down on the chair at the side, placing the bag on the bed.

"My names Abby, I'm friends with Gibbs. I got you some presents why don't you look".

Ziva looked to Gibbs, the timid nature of the child shocked Tony, who was still by the door with Tim, he rationalized that it was to be expected, she was afterall in a room full of strangers.

" Go on, have a look" prompted Gibbs. At his encouragement she carefully peeked inside the bag, a large smile overtaking her face. She pulled out a pair of purple pajamas with little stars all over them. How had Abby known that this horrible dress was itchy? Maybe Abby wasn't a monster, maybe she was a magic fairy.

" Cans I put em on now da... Ibbs?". She'd almost called him daddy infront of these people, she wasn't sure if she was allowed to do that.

" You should say thank you to Abby first".

Ziva jumped over him, shyly approached Abby before smiling sweetly "tank you Abby". Abby melted, she was just too adorable! Tony and Tim were thinking similar thoughts, smiling at the cute kid before them, finding it hard to relate her to the adult Ziva.

"Your welcome, want me to help you put em on?". Ziva contemplated her offer, she didn't want the men to help her, maybe her new daddy could, but she did want to find out if Abby was magic. This in mind she decided to let her, maybe she could ask Abby when she was helping her change.

"okaaayy", she lowered herself off the bed, taking hold of Abbys offered hand, and doing the little run skip that only toddlers are capable of to the bathroom. Abby had grabbed the bag of the bed, she'd also bought underwear and clothes for tomorrow, and shoes. She'd show her the rest whilst the adorable little bundle clinging to her hand changed, she also had her a teddy bear, hopefully Ziva would like it.

Once in the bathroom, Abby turned Ziva around to undo the ties holding the gown together.

"I've got you some more clothes and stuff in the bag", she withdrew a small pack of underwear, handing over a pair, letting Ziva put them on herself. Ziva grinned, grabbing the pants and fumbling to get her legs in.

"Want me to help you?". At Zivas nod and grunt of frustration Abby carefully picked up one of her legs and helped her into them. She then picked up the top and pulled it over her head, stepping away to let Ziva get her arms in herself. As Zivas smiley face emerged, she chuckled. "Is that better baby, those gowns itch huh!".

"Yeah! Der howrible!", Ziva nodded her head ferociously, it was very itchy. Abby laughed, causing Ziva to giggle. She then looked curiously up at Abby, deciding it was safe to ask her questions.

"Whys you gots lots of paintings on your skin?". Realising that Ziva still held the curious nature of her older self, Abby decided to answer all of the girls questions, eager for the young girl to be as comfortable around her as possible.

"There called tattoos, I've got them because I like to have art on my skin."

"But dere black".

"Not all of them are but blacks my favourite colour". Ziva accepted this, then moved onto her next question. Abby sensed that the baby was going to ask her lots so she sat on the floor, getting comfortable, laughing when Ziva copied her.

" You look funny." Zivas blunt statement both shocked her and made her chuckle, it was understandable that she looked strange to her.

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?", Ziva looked at her and considered her answer, she liked Abby, she'd known to get her pajamas and underwear, she'd been kind and helped her get dressed.

"Good thing!", this caused Abby to pull Ziva up from the floor into a tight hug. "Yaaaaay", Ziva decided she liked that word so repeated it "aaaaay". Arms around Abbys neck, she decided to ask the most important question, " are you a magic faiwy?". The innocence and naivety of the question caused Abby to pull her closer, deciding to humour her she replied, " yes, but it's a secret, don't tell anybody". Ziva pulled back to look up into Abbys face, she knew it! "Otay! Pwomise I wont." If Abby was a fairy then that meant she could tell her secrets.

"Abby. Dya know ibbs? He's ma new daddy but I don't know if am loud to call him daddy infront ov stwangers". The small girl humphed against her shoulders, obviously troubled by what to do. This girl literally couldn't get any more precious Abby decided.

"Oh baby, it's up to you. If you want to call him daddy then you call him daddy". Satisfied with this, Ziva laid her head on Abbys shoulder, Abby stood up and grabbed the bag, carrying Ziva back into the hospital room. Back to her daddy.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

As Abby came back through the door, a pajama encased child in her arms, Tony and Tim moved towards the bed, intent on getting acquainted with the toddler. As they neared Gibbs, Ziva reached both arms out, he immediately grabbed hold of her and let her snuggle back against her chest, nodding at Tony to introduce himself. Ziva watched intrigued as the man that looked like a Disney Prince opened his mouth, "Hey zeevah, I'm Tony, Tony Dinozzo. I work with Gibbs", he sent a wink in her direction, which earned him a giggle and a small wave. She leant up and whispered in Gibbs ear "his names toady nosy", her version of Tonys name made Gibbs full belly laugh, oh if she called him that Tim would have a field day. Unfortunately for Tony, Zivas 'whisper' was heard by the whole room, causing Tony to turn red and Tim and Abby to laugh uncontrollably. Ziva turned back to Tony, a smile on her face eerily similar to her adult selfs when she knew she'd managed to embarrass him. He grumbled and moved to sit in a chair against the wall, sulking that for once it was his name been made fun of, by a toddler no less!

As Tony still grumbled McGee decided it was his turn, he reached a hand out to shake the small girls, "Tim McGee". Ziva instantly liked Tim, it was funny that he shook her hand like the grown ups do, trying to act grown up she said "Ziva". Everyone laughed then, it was obvious what she was doing. As Tim Sat on the side of the bed, Abby reached into the shopping bag, she had another treat for tonight for Ziva. When Ziva caught sight of it she gasped, in Abbys hand was a cuddly teddy bear, it was a soft beige and had a soft velvet nose. The thing that made her gasp though was that it was wearing a pink ballerinas skirt, she loved ballerinas. She reached out to grab it, her small palm wrapping around its leg. Her eyes looked pleadingly up at Abby, hoping that the magic fairy had gotten this for her. When Abby smiled and passed her it, she screamed out in excitement. "Yaaaaay, I luffs it, tank you!". She was so happy she couldn't refrain from jumping up and down on the bed, only stopping when Gibbs yanked her down and set her under the covers. Once she was all tucked in he kissed her forehead, "sleep". She hadn't even realised she was tired until her new daddy had said that.

She said goodnight to everyone, smirking as she said "night night toady", already realising that it was fun to wind up the prince man. After a chorus of goodnights from the rest of the team, she snuggled down, holding her teddy tight. The team watched as her eyes slowly drifted closed, watching over her as she slept peacefully.

**Okay people, leave a review! The reviews make me smile so the more I get the faster I write :p also don't forget to check out Fee4444 story : When Ziva regresses, because it's awesome. Until the next chapter...**


	4. Chapter 4

The early morning rays filtered through the hospital window, hitting Gibbs squarely in the face. He'd slept in the chair by Zivas bed, leaving his back aching and his neck now stiff. Yawning, he looked over the beds occupant, smiling at her ruffled appearance. Her curls had gained life of their own and were stuck up at random angles, completely wild and notted. One arm was thrown above her head, hand clutching tightly to the teddys leg that Abby had given her. The sheet was half covering her, one leg was sprawled to the side, pant leg half way up. Her other hand was by her mouth, thumb inbetween her lips. It was funny, he'd never have had her down as a thumb sucker, yet everytime he'd seen her asleep so far her thumb had remained in her mouth. Her face looked peaceful, like she didn't have a care in the world, he'd never seen her adult self look so calm and relaxed in sleep.

Looking round the rest of the rooms occupants he smirked, not one of his team had left last night. All of them keeping vigil by their teammates bed, each wanting to do everything they could to help her in her new state. He'd always thought as his team as a family but times when one was injured or hurt cemented that idea as he saw how they each cared for one another as though they were blood. He knew that this new situation was bound to change their whole dynamic, his gut however was saying that it might just bring them that much closer. Afterall,their littlest 'sister' was literally now a child, who needed all the care and attention they could stow upon her. Knowing his team he reckoned that he'd be spending alot more time around each of them outside of work, as they all would want to be a major part of his child's life. His child! He wasn't sure when he'd get used to the fact that he was legally a father again.

A light tap against the door brought him from his musings. It also woke the other adults in the room.

"Oh my, I wouldn't have believed it possible if I hadn't bare witness to the physical evidence", the soft melodic voice of the resident Scottish doctor made them smile. He slowly stepped closer, marveling at the transformation of the wonderful poised woman Ziva had been to the darling little girl residing in the bed before him.

"Cute isn't she ducky", Abby whispered, not wanting to wake Ziva.

"I dare say dear Abigail that she is a very bonny lass", his eyes sparkled as he spoke, raking in every detail of Zivas face. The transformation was astounding, the stuff of stories, and yet it was real!

"Yup, she's gonna brake alot of hearts boss, you're gonna need your gun when she's older". Trust Tony to ruin the moment with a joke, albeit a true joke. His comment caused McGee to chuckle and Gibbs to scowl. He didn't want to think about having to chase of boyfriends when she was still only two.

"She's gonna be clever too, but she won't be the same will she?".

"Probably not McGee. But she's still here, alive, that's all that matters". McGee agreed with his boss, it didn't matter if she didn't grow up to be exactly as she was, that probably wasn't possible. This time she was going to actually have a childhood, rather than be groomed to be an elite in mossad. Plus, they'd all be there every step of the way. This thought made him happy, she'd have a great childhood with Gibbs looking after her, Abby spoiling her rotten. Ducky would be a source of endless fairytales and story's, Tony would be the goofball he usually is, playing any and evey game with the little girl that she could dream up. He'd always been wrapped around her finger as an adult, he'd bet money on the fact that this would increase tenfold with the change in her age status. And him, well, he'd teach her anything he could think of, with a photographic memory she'd soak up knowledge like a sponge, that was probably how she could speak so many languages. He wondered how many she could speak now, English was obviously one and hebrew was a given. He guessed they'd just have to wait and see. His thoughts were interrupted by a rather large growl from his stomach.

"I'm gonna go get breakfast, anyone want anything?".

"I'll come with Timmy, I need a caf-pow desperately".

"I'll come as well, I need a proper breakfast, you want a coffee boss?".

At Tonys question,Gibbs looked at him as though he were stupid, which he was being. Since when did Gibbs ever not want coffee.

"Right, of course you do boss. Ducky?".

"No thankyou Anthony I already ate breakfast this morning with my mother". With that the three left, leaving Ducky and Gibbs alone with the sleeping toddler.

Gibbs stood and sat on the edge of Zivas bed, leaving his seat vacant for the doctor to sit in. As ducky Sat he reached over and pulled to the sheet over to properly cover the young girl, softly stroking her hair once he had done so.

"Has she awoken at all yet?".

"Last night, she has a good understanding of what's going on. She knows she's staying here from now on".

"How did she take it?".

"She took it good, director said she'd been raised to expect something like this is anything ever happened to her parents".

"The poor dear, and her speech, how was it?". Gibbs smirked, trust Ducky to want to know all the details.

"She speaks damn good English duck, better than some American kids her age".

"Ah, I have no doubt she does Jethro, I read her doctors notes last night from when she was a child. She's very intelligent, of course this could be attributed to her photographic memory, but I believe even without she'd be intelligent". He nodded wordlessly, agreeing with his old friend, he'd read her files as an agent, her i.q could rival Abbys.

"I hear from the director that you've taken legal guardianship?".

"I signed the adoption papers last night duck, she's legally mine". This shocked Ducky, Leon had never mentioned an adoption.

"Well Jethro, I can't say I expected that, I guess I must offer my congratulations then". He patted his shoulder warmly, secretly wondering how his friend was feeling at legally being a father again, especially to a little girl.

"Gave her my last name too". Although Gibbs offered the information up nonchalantly, Ducky could see how much it meant to him, and it made him proud to see how openly he was accepting Ziva in her new state into his life.

Voices were speaking around her, her new daddy and a voice she didn't know. They'd woken her up and she wasn't happy about it. She squirmed, bringing her hand down to rub her eyes before sitting up and scowling at the new intruder. She then looked at Gibbs, "I needs da toilet". Gibbs smirked, she was grouchy, which was very funny to witness. He hoisted her up on to his hip, smiled at Ducky, before carrying her to the door of the bathroom.

"Need some help pumpkin?", as he asked her he tipped her chin gently, trying to evoke a smile from the still scowling girl. She reached up and pushed his hand away, "no". With that she stomped into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her whilst grumbling in hebrew. As soon as the door was closed both Ducky and Gibbs burst into laughter, much to Zivas chargrin.

"Still as feisty as ever I see".

"I don't think she liked been woke up duck". He listened to the toilet flush and the taps turn on, deciding to leave her be he returned to the bed.

"I dare say your going to have your hands full Jethro". Gibbs nodded, he reckoned so too. The door to the bathroom opened, both men watched on in amusement as Ziva stomped out, making every step her tiny feet took bang on the ground. Still scowling she marched to the edge of the bed before trying to climb up herself. Ducky reached forward to lift her, however it seemed that she didn't want it.

"Nooo", her little screech made him grin internally, they really had made her mad by waking he up. Her little feet kicked in the air as her hands grasped at the mattress and sheets, hoisting her self up. After she'd finally done it she faced Ducky, scowl ever present.

"Now my dear you must be Ziva, my name Doctor Donald Mallard, but you can call me Ducky". He smiled gently at her, trying to take the scowl of her face. However she didn't say anything, just stared angrily at him. Her arms crossed over her chest. It was at this point that the team returned with breakfast. All three took in the scene before them, grinning at Zivas antics, she looked so angry!

"Ohhhh, someone's upset the little munchkin!". Tony joked, grinning as he handed his boss his coffee. For his efforts he was rewarded by Ziva turning her scowl on him. "Shut up toady". Ducky raised his eyebrows at the name, Gibbs just smirked into his coffee before chastising his new daughter.

"Ziva, say sorry, you don't tell people to shut up". She turned her stare on him, a crease on her forehead from her frown, trying to stare him out. It didn't work so she dropped her eyes before muttering a lowly, "sowry". Tony laughed, finding the whole situation hilarious.

Abby decided to try brighten up the baby, so she bounded forward with the breakfast she had bought for her.

"Look what I got you!".

Ziva didn't reply, not I'm the mood to bother with these people after the rude awakening she'd had. She sat crossed legged, arms folded, scowling in everyone who dared look at hers direction. Deciding that the best course of action in this situation would be to ignore her, the team began to eat their breakfasts, chatting about mundane things. Tony and Tim on the chairs they had slept on, Abby in front of Ziva on the bed, her back to the small child. After a while of everyone ignoring her Ziva got bored, and hungry. She stopped scowling and creeped slowly forward towards Abby. Unbeknownst to her everyone in the room was watching her out of the corners of their eyes. She crawled until she was behind Abby, then carefully stood up, she reached around and placed her hand over Abbys eyes, "Boo!". The men in the room smiled indulgently, she was really cute. Abby reached around and grabbed Ziva, bringing her to her lap where she proceeded to tickle her, eliciting breathy chuckles from the squirming girl.

"You ready for your breakfast now baby?". Ziva grinned widely, in a much better mood now she'd had the chance to wake up, "yep yep yep yep yep". Abby grinned, heart melting at the babys enthusiasm, she reached to the bag containing the food before pulling out a bottle of orange juice and a big chocolate muffin. At the sight of the treat Zivas eyes dilated, carefully taking it she gave Abby a toothy grin. "Tank you Abby!".

"Your welcome". Ziva moved to Gibbs lap to eat, leaning back into his chest as he wrapped his arms around her. She listened to the adults as she ate, getting chocolate stains on her pajamas and all over her face and hands, much to their amusement. Once she'd finished Ducky asked her if she'd like to hear a story. As he regaled her with tales of princesses and dragons Gibbs went to get her discharge papers.

As the story had started out Ziva had been sat at the end of the bed, however as the story progressed she got steadily closer to the old Scot, until she was on the edge of the bed infront of him. Completely enthralled. Eventually he took her up in his arms and sat her on his knee, the foreign weight of a child warming him from the inside out. Once the tale had come to an end, Ziva still lay cuddled into him, she decided she liked Ducky aswell. He reminded her of her grandpa deedee, he'd gone to heaven too. Maybe Ducky would be her new one like Gibbs was her new daddy?

"Can you tell me anudha one ducky, pleassssee". Ducky smiled softly, negating that he had to leave now for work, but promising that he'd see her soon and tell her one. He sat her back on the bed, kissing her cheek before bidding her farewell. She waved sadly after him.

The rest of the team left aswell, all needing to get home and change and rest before heading to work also. Gibbs wasn't going in, he had a week of to settle everything with Ziva, they had alot of shopping to do, afterall he had to buy her clothes aswell as sort her out a bedroom and toys. He wasn't looking forward to that part. Luckily for him Abby had bought her an outfit to leave the hospital in. After cleaning her up and changing her into a pair of skinny blue jeans and a grey top with butterflys on. He placed her in a thin purple rain coat, slipped her socks and white sneakers on her feet, then picked her and her teddy up. He'd already placed her pajamas in the bag the clothes had come in. Then, they were on their way, out of the hospital. Ready to begin their new life, together.

**There you have it! The story will pick up alot now, yay! Also iI just want to say you guys are all amazing, Thankyou for reading and don't forget to read a review, even if it's just to say ' liked it', it would be greatly appreciated. Xx**


	5. Chapter 5

On the drive home his little charge had drifted off to sleep, again. The doctors had explained to him that she'd sleep longer these next few days as a residual effect from her change. It wouldn't last long and he'd been advised to enjoy the peace and quiet whilst he had the chance, soon she'd be running rings around him. This thought caused him to smile, glancing into the back of his car his smile widened, it seemed that Ziva was a thumb sucker, huh, he wouldn't have had her down as one. Yet everytime she'd slept so far her thumb was up in her mouth.

Pulling into his drive he tried to rouse his sleeping toddler, the result of which was a scrunched up face and kicking legs. Obviously she didn't want to wake up.

Sighing, he reached into the back of the car and deftly unclipped her seatbelt. Carefully hooking his arm under her legs he hoisted her from her booster seat, ( Abby had been graceful enough to run out and get one) settling her against hip. Her small face instinctively found the hollow of his throat, small puffs of air heating his chilled skin. Stepping into his door he did something not seen for twenty years - he locked it behind him. "Welcome to your new home, princess".

Entering his sparse living room he deposited her on the sofa, tucking the blanket that he used on a night time to cover her. He picked up her teddy bear and tucked that in with her too. Looking around his living room he realised it wasn't really child friendly - he needed to fix that. Ziva would need a bedroom, all of his were minimalist and bare, she'd need toys and a home that was warm and inviting. He sat down with his Palm against his head, only just really realising how drastically everything in his life would change. His house would need completely renovating, his work hours would be reduced, his poor boat would be rejected. Pressing a kiss to her forhead, he checked her over one last time, heading upstairs as he decided to go pick her a bedroom and start clearing it. His intention was to get her fed once she woke up then go on a major shopping spree. Vance had transferred all of her money into a savings account for her. He'd also informed Gibbs that when Ziva's mother had died, Ziva had been left with a large inheritance, one which she'd never touched. Vance had sorted it so that a part of her inheritance was accessible to Gibbs, allowing him to finance all of the changes he would need to make in his home to accommodate her aswell as buy everything she needed. He would use his own money as well, but the help was greatly appreciated.

Gzgzgzgzgzgzgzgzgzgzgzgzg

Unfamiliar smells assaulted her senses when she awoke, a funny wood smell, something abit like the mucky drink her aba had kept in his desk and then her new daddy Gibbs smell. She determined she must be in his house, well hers too now. Glancing around she took note of the bare walls and faded leather couch which she had been placed on. There wasn't any colour in the room, just an open fire and sofas, an old tv on a wooden table. She didn't really like this room, her old living room was large and colourful. Her mummy had let her have a toy box next to the couch, peering over the arm of the sofa she realized there wasn't any here. Picking up her discarded teddy bear, she heaved herself off the sofa, tiptoeing across the wooden floor she entered the hallway. That was empty and cold too - it looked like no body lived in this house!

Pulling her teddy up to her chest for comfort she listened intently, straining to hear any sound to indicate she wasn't alone. Hearing nothing she bravely ventured into the next room. The kitchen! This too was barron but there was a mug high up on a counter. Sitting heavily on the tiled floor she decided to name her teddy.

"So, what's your name?"

"I knows! Yours names is ice-cream!".

"I like you ice-cream, ands I likes ice-cream, I wonder if there's some here."

Spotting the fridge freezer she hurried over, the door was really heavy. Her tiny arms were straining with the ferocity of her pulls, but it wouldn't open. Muttering darkly she picked ice-cream up off the floor and went to explore more. Back down the hallway she noticed another door, pulling it open, she was met with a wooden staircase. There wasn't a light on, but she was a brave big girl she decided. She could handle this. Putting one foot infront of the other, she carefully began to descend them, palm scraping against the wall to guide her. As she was halfway down, the door closed, plunging her into pitch black.

Trying desperately to calm her erratic breathing, she tried to reach the bottom. Tears began to form as the fear consumed her. Stumbling she plummeted to the bottom, landing in a heap upon the concrete. Her knee stung, her head hurt and her hands and arms were scraped. She wailed loudly, sobbing in pain and fear. Wherever she was, it was dark, shadows swooped all around her, she was pretty sure there were monsters in here. Her cries reached a crescendo, quickly turning hysterical as the situation she found herself in got the better of her. Where was Gibbs? She wanted her new daddy, had he left her by herself? Maybe he didn't want to be her daddy. This made her cry harder, in the short time she'd known him she'd gotten really attached to him. She wanted him as her daddy, he was kind and nice to her. Maybe her Abba had been right though, he had said that no body would love her if she acted like a baby. Her mummy said she was still a baby but maybe her new daddy Gibbs thought like her Abba did.

Alone in the dark, the toddlers tears continued to flow, not just from pain and fear of monsters.

Gzgzgzgzgzgzgzgzgzgzgzgzg

Wiping the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand, he looked around the now cleared space. The bay window let alot of light in, casting a soft glow through out the room. The walls were an off white with age, they'd need re-painting, he didn't know what colour as he wasn't sure what his toddler liked. He knew what adult Ziva liked, but her younger self was sure to have different tastes. The floor was wooden, it would need polishing up, he'd need to get a big rug for her aswell. Looking up at the high ceilings he was happy to note that it was still a nice white shade. All of the boxes and furniture that had taken residence in this room were now in the attic, this room was directly opposite his own. He wanted to be close to her so he could get to her easily. Plus this was the largest room in the house, something she was sure to appreciate when she was older. Looking at his watch he was shocked to see he'd been at this for nearly two hours, Ziva would probably be waking up soon.

Once down stairs he entered the kitchen, looking in his cupboards he wryly noted that they weren't very well stocked, another thing that would have to change. Couldn't have no food in when you had a kid. Rifling through he found a tin of soup that wasn't past it sell by date, deciding that would have to do he set it on the stove to heat. Time to wake up sleeping beauty.

Entering the living room he headed towards the sofa. When he reached it his heart stopped in his chest. She wasn't here. A cold chill washed over him, he looked around the room before entering the hallway. He heard crying, rushing towards the basements door, he yanked it open. As he did so the crying could be hehard properly, Ziva was hysterical. Pulling the chord that turned the light on he rushed down to her. Scooping her up into his arms he jogged back up, wanting to get her into natural light so he could assess the damage properly. Entering the kitchen he took note of her puffy eyes that were still flowing tears. Sitting her on the table he pulled a first aid kit from under the sink.

"ssshhh now princess, let me have a look. Where does it hurt?"

"m m m ma ands and ma knee and m ead". Ziva was relieved, her new daddy had come and got her out of that horrible scary room.

"Okay, let daddy see your head first". He tilted her head forward, there was a small bump, but he was happy to see no signs of blood. He pressed a kiss to the bump, hoping to soothe his hurt baby.

"Right let's see your hands".

"Otay", he tears were slowly subsiding, her daddy was making her better now. Her palms were grazed and a little dirty, she also had a large scuff mark up her right arm to her elbow. He slowly wiped it with antibacterial wipes, before putting a plaster over the marks. He also cleaned up her knees, which weren't in a much better state. Once she was cleaned up, he sat down and set her on his knee.

"You feel better now Ziv?"

"Uh-hu", she snuggled into his chest, basking in his protective embrace.

"Don't go down to the basement again though, okay."

"I wont, ders monstas down dere!"

She seemed so certain of this fact, her face a picture of absolute seriousness that he couldn't help but chuckle.

"There's not monsters, there is a boat though.

She knit her brows together in confusion, there wasn't water down there, she wowild have heard it.

"No ders not silly daddy", he noticed that she used the word daddy, he'd already picked up on the fact that sometimes she aseemed reluctant to call him that. He didn't want to say anything because he didn't want to force anything upon her, but hearing that word uttered from her made his heart smile.

"There is."

"Nooooo", she chuckled, shaking her head to emphasize her point.

"I'll shoe you another day, how about right now you eat some soup, then we'll go shopping."

"opping, why?"

"We need to get you clothes and furniture for your bedroom, gotta paint it as well."

"What color?"

"Whatever color you want," he set her bowl infront of them, before setting her down in his seat, "what's your favourite colour". He grinned as she tried to eat and talk, resulting in her having a rather mucky face.

"Ummmm, ELLOW!"

"Yellow, that what color you want your room?"

"Yup, cans I get sum toys too?", he smirked internally at her hopeful tone, like he wouldn't get her toys, kid would most probably end up with everything she asked for.

"Course you can".

"Yaaaaaay, cans ice-cream come with us?". Gibbs tried to work out was she was trying to say before it dawned on him.

"Is that your teddy bears name?".

"uh-hu", Ziva wasn't very interested in talking at the moment, she was too busy trying to get the majority of soup in her mouth, rather than around.

"Is that good?".

"Yup, what's it?"

"Leak and potato".

"Oh, wells i's likes it", she beamed up at him as she'd cleared her bowl.

After clearing up and wiping her down, he took her out to the car, ice-cream the bear tucked under his arm. Strapping her in he kissed her forhead, much to her delight if the toothy grin he received was anything to go by, before making his way to the drivers seat. On the way there they carried on their conversation, Ziva really was a bright child, making comments and observations about the thints she saw through the window as they drove. He learnt alot on their journey, like the fact that her favourite candy was jelly babies, she liked to drink milk, she didn't like yucky peas. The more and more she spoke, the greater sense of love he felt. He loved the little girl as though she was his own, even though he'd only known her, well, the new her, for a short amount of time.

Pulling into a parking space, he looked at the huge shopping mall before him. This was going to be interesting, and probably a nightmare.

**Hopefully you enjoy what admittedly is not one of my greatest chapers. I'll update again saturday, don't forget to review, it makes me happy :p lots of love xx**


	6. Chapter 6

**This is a relatively short chapter, but hopefully you like, enjoy!**

The car parked among a sea of other cars, a large white and glass building a distance away. Ziva looked through the window curiously, she had never seen anything like this before. She looked down at herself, she was a little bit dirty, but she hadn't had anything else to wear, just the clothes that Abby had bought her. Gibbs had told her that it was okay because she was going to get lots of new clothes at the mall. Still, she didn't really like looking dirty, her Abba used to get mad at her for it, he said big girls could keep themselves clean. She sighed heavily, there wasn't anything she could do about it, and if Gibbs didn't mind then she shouldn't either.

After Gibbs had opened the door and unclipped her seatbelt she jumped out of the car, eager to go shopping but rather intimidated by the sheer size of the place. All she could see were cars, they looked to go on forever, yet from the car she had seen a building. Sensing Ziva's slight distress Gibbs plucked the toddler off the floor and placed her on his shoulders, she instinctively gripped his head and giggled, much happier with her new vantage point.

"Daddy! Looks how bigs it is!"

"That's cos it's got lots of shops inside it, we'll be able to get your clothes and toys, and the stuff we need for your bedroom".

"Cans I get lots of toys?"

"Yeah princess, you can get lots of toys".

He winced at her responding shriek, her little legs kicking against his chest in excitement.

"When we get to the entrance I'll have to put you down, but you'll keep hold of my hand won't you?"

"Yuuuuup".

Setting her down by the doors he took a tight hold of her hand, pleased when she returned the hold firmly. Slightly swinging their arms, they entered the mall, Zivas attention was captivated by the many sights within, her eyes darting every which way, getting more and more excited the further they walked. Gibbs noticed her distraction, grinning he steered her around, ensuring she didn't walk into anything whilst she wasn't looking. Zivas gasp of astonishment caught his attention, she was peering behind her, straining to continue looking, he stopped walking to see what had caused her reaction. It was a performer that was blowing hundreds of bubbles and creating various shapes and animals with the bubbles. Chuckling he led his young charge over, placing her directly infront of the performer, allowing her an unobstructed view of the creations being made. He slipped a note into her hand and nudged her forward to put it in the hat that was taking the donations. The performer noticed the adorable young girl who looked on in fascination, as she placed a generous tip in her hat she paused to give her a gift. Handing the young girl a large tube of bubbles with a flower shaped blower, she chuckled as the toddler looked behind her at an older gentleman, clearly checking that accepting the gift was okay. The woman and Ziva both smiled brightly at Gibbs nod of approval, and the woman melted at the young girls brightly exclaimed "tank you!". Deciding that she wanted to do something extra for the adorable being before her she said, "your very welcome. Now, tell me, what's your favourite animal" - inwardly she was hoping that it was something that she already knew how to create. It seemed that luck was on her side.

"Its da nelepant!".

"Well, if it's an elephant then you'll like this next one". She waited until the small girl had ran back over to the man she presumed to be her father, before beginning.

Ziva giggled and clapped beside him as the performer created a giant bubble elephant, shrieking in delight as it moved towards her before bursting, spraying them with soapy liquid. They stayed and watched for a while, Ziva blowing her own bubbles happily, before moving away and heading for their original intended destination.

Gibbs had decided to get the most boring items first, this being clothes. He knew that his daughter - he was still getting used to that - was itching to go to the toy store, and he was wanting to sort out her bedroom. For tonight he'd put her in his bed, he'd buy everything today, then paint and assemble tomorrow. Ziva was walking beside him, blowing bubbles with a happy grin, easily entertained by the soapy objects she was making. As they reached the clothes store, Gibbs pulled out a cart.

"You're gonna sit in here so you don't get lost,okay?". Ziva put her blower back in the mix, handing it off to her daddy, before raising her arms to be lifted. Putting her bubbles in his back pocket he sat her in the seat then entered the store. Looking around he decided to start from the necessities, socks and underwear. He placed a pack of plain white underwear and a pack of mixed colours into the cart, looking to Ziva for confirmation. She wasn't really interested, finding these items boring. He also placed some white socks and some black socks in the cart, knowing that these would go with anything he bought her.

"What other colours do ya want ziv?". Tearing her eyes from the colourful tops and dresses she focused on the items before her, happy that her daddy seemed to be letting her pick and get involved in choosing.

"Da ellow and da purple ones. And dem! Please". The ones she was referring to were stripy black and white socks which had individual holes for each of her tiny toes. Placing the requested items into the cart he moved on to the tops.

"I'll pick you some first and then you can choose some you want aswell", he knew that letting her pick everything would be hard work and would result in her having nothing that matched or that she needed for the different weathers. He did want her to have some choice however, so this was the best way to go about this. After placing a variety of vests, shirts, t-shirts and jumpers into the cart it was Zivas turn to pick. Ziva was happy to say that Gibbs had picked alot that she would have chosen, leaving only a few items that she wanted. Pointing out the items for her daddy to get her, she chose : a purple hooded zipped jumper that had a pug dog on the back, a yellow shirt with interwoven glitter, a t-shirt with a frog and a jumper that had a hood like a panda head. He noticed the majority of her likes revolved around animals, he knew she liked animals as an adult but she definitely loved them as a kid.

They carried on through the store, Gibbs picking essential items, then Ziva topping up with her own choices. It worked well, ensuring they left the store with enough clothes to fill a whole wardrobe. They'd also purchased her a black wind breaker, a khaki coloured parka and a cute green spotted rain coat with a frog hood and wellington boots to match. She also had a pair of white converse, some black rubber shoes, a variety of dolly shoes and a pair of Brown ugg style boots. The amount of bags was astounding to say the clothes were to fit a small child, it took two trips to carry them out to his car. Ziva herself was immensely overwhelmed, never before had she been bought so much in one go, she'd never been given the opportunity to choose for herself before either. The fact that Gibbs had allowed her to, in her mind, strengthened the bond between them and built upon the love she was slowly allowing herself to feel for him.

After the bags had been stowed in the trunk, Gibbs picked Ziva up, deciding it would be faster to carry her than to have her walk. As they were heading back into the mall, he was shocked when two small arms gripped around his neck, hugging him tightly. A sloppy kiss was pressed against his cheeks as she said "tank you daddy". His heart constricted with love for the small girl as he replied " your welcome kid", whilst returning her kiss to her forhead.

**There you have it! The next chapter will be longer and will cover the toy store, bedtime and her new bedroom. If you like this story remember to review, if you don't I might have to kill you, or not, I don't know. :) xx**


	7. Chapter 7

**So I've had alot of issues. My story's kept deleting, meaning all those who favourited and followed are no longer doing so. If you were before then remember to re-do!**

With her paint, bedroom furniture and accessories purchased and ordered for delivery, the duo headed for the toy store. Gibbs wore an infectious smile as they walked, the bundle of excitement clinging to his hand making his day just that bit brighter. She was giddily skipping, eager to get there and choose some toys.

"Awre we nearly dere yet daddy?".

The exasperated sigh was overly dramatic in a way only an impatient child can do, especially when toys are awaiting them. Grinning he hoisted Ziva, lifting her under the armpits so she could see over the adults around her.

"Can you see it pumpkin?"

She squinted her eyes, there was lots of stores ahead, but to the side she saw a large colourful one. Looking more closely she noticed that around the name of the store a small train was running. Pointing her small finger she loudly exclaimed, " it's dere daddy! It's dere!".

"Well spotted there princess".

Placing her back on the floor, he allowed her to lead him through the sea of people. Coming to a halt, her eyes dilated as she stared ahead, where every toy she could dream up was stored in endless aisles. Her lips parted to create a perfect o, she'd never seen so many toys!

"Right kiddo, you ready to go get some new toys?"

She nodded her head, taking his offered hand. Leading her into the store he noticed the specialist carts - each one was made to look like a truck. There were a rainbow of colours available, pulling Ziva over he let her choose.

Having gotten her comfortably seated in a purple 'truck', Gibb decided to set some limits.

"Right, you get anything you want, but only 20 and only things that are suitable for your age, okay".

"Tay, what does soupabtable mean?".

Chuckling Gibbs answered her as simply as he could, " it means that the toys are made for kids your age".

"Tay daddy".

Smiling he pushed the cart onto the first aisle, he was curious to see her reaction to the multitude of pink barbies around her. He wasn't suprised when she pulled a face and shook her head vehemently when he'd asked if she wanted any of them. Turning on to the next isle, Zivas eyes grew huge.

"Babies!"

The excitement in her voice indicated that she'd be choosing a baby doll. He pushed her up and down the aisle to get a good look at what was available, wanting her to see her options before picking. She seemed very interested in the more chunky baby's that had many different special effects. Her eyes were continuesly going back to a doll that cried, sucked and moved its head and eyelids. This particular doll also had many accessories that could be purchased separately.

Tugging on Gibbs sleeve, Ziva pointed to it, "dat one pease daddy". Pulling the box of the shelf, he noticed this one also had outfit changes and diapers. Placing it in the cart he turned to see if anything else had caught her eye. Following her line of sight he saw a crib and changing set that was available for the doll she had chosen. He put both of those in the cart aswell, eliciting a beaming smile from his small companion. As they made their way through the store Ziva selected the toys she wanted, including a bath play set.

Turning the aisle they were greeted with rows of rocking horses. Horses of all shapes, sizes and colours. Ziva attempted to stand up, clearly fascinated by everything around her. Chuckling, Gibbs lifted her out and set her on the floor, knowing that one of the surrounding horses would be making its way home with them. Ziva ran forward, checking to make sure her daddy was following. She passed the smaller ones in favour of the larger - and undoubtedly more expensive - horses that were mounted on sturdy polished wood. These horses were made of wood with a fabric skin interwoven with fur and horse hair manes and tails. Realistic leather saddles adorned them and were connected to metal stirrups. The reins were a soft leather and the eyes marbled glass. There were an array of colours, but Ziva seemed to be drawn to the light chestnut with dark chocolate tail and mane. She reverently stroked the horses snout, eyes glazed over in wonder at the beauty before her. Gibbs thought that it would be too big so was astounded when she expertly plonked herself atop the saddle. She leaned forward to grab the reins and happily kicked her legs. This resulted in the gentle rocking of the horse.

"Daddy...", she trailed of, although he'd said she could have anything she wanted she was smart enough to know that this toy carried a hefty price tag. She didn't want to ask for something so expensive. Sensing her reluctance, Gibbs motioned to a store assistant, when the man came over he said, "we'd like this one to be delivered please."

"Certainly sir,I'll just go get you the order slip, you'll need to fill it in and pay at the checkout".

Ziva couldn't believe it! She carefully climbed of the horse before rushing forward. She hugged his legs with a strength a two year old shouldn't possess.

"Tank you, tank you, tank you!"

"Don't mention it kiddo". He placed her back in the cart, the overwhelming gratitude practically oozing from her making him smile widely. She really was just too damned cute, he couldn't have walked out without getting her something that she'd clearly adored so much. Besides, it would fill up abit of space in her bedroom.

"Thats seventeen now, three more toys then we're done".

Ziva nodded her understanding, she was very happy with her selection so far, their cart was filled to the top, alot of the toys coming in large boxes and packages. As they entered the games isle she noticed a box with an elephant on it.

" Whats dat?", Gibbs followed her finger and picked up the game, checking the age restrictions as he did so. He was happy to note that it was in her age range so he explained to her, " the elephant blows butterflies up through its trunk here, and you've got to catch them in these nets. Whoever gets the most butterflies is the winner".

That sounded like lots of fun so was quickly selected as toy number eighteen.

After more wondering along the aisles they finally procured twenty toys, the last two being a Vets kit and a large plush dog. At the checkout the woman remarked how lucky a little girl Ziva was to have such a generous daddy. Ziva agreed and smiled sweetly, causing alot of people to remark what a beautiful child Gibbs had. He happily murmured his thanks, he couldn't really deny it, it was obvious to everyone who looked at her.

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Having gotten home, he placed all of the clothes bags in his bedroom, unable to put them away until her furniture was delivered tomorrow. Her toys were all still in the bags in the living room - except for the rocking horse which was to be delivered in the next few days. They'd been shopping for hours, meaning it was now dinner time. Ziva followed him into the kitchen, one hand rubbing at her face tiredly. Their excursion had worn her out, however Gibbs was determined to keep her up a few more hours so that she'd sleep tonight. Her stomach gave a loud grumble as he searched his cupboards for something to make her. Coming up empty he only had one option, "You fancy some pizza munchkin". She nodded, not really interested as long as she was fed soon.

Pizzas consumed, Ziva and Gibbs pulled out the elephant game, Gibbs way of ensuring she stayed awake. Zivas excited squeals of laughter filled the room as the pair of them played the game. Gibbs shuffling round on his knees so he wasn't too tall to play. Paper butterflies fluttered all around them as Ziva bounded around with her green net held high. They played for some time, with Ziva winning each game. It ended with Gibbs laid on the floor, Ziva sprawled across his chest. They laid there for a while, Ziva taking comfort from the soft thudding of the heart beneath her and Gibbs basking in the peaceful silence.

The silence was broken by a large yawn against him, sitting up, he pulled Ziva up with him. Brushing the hair from her eyes he was met with tired eyes that were slowly drooping as the lull of sleep began to pull her under.

"Bath time first princess, then bed". She dropped her head against him, trying to snuggle further, not really wishing to have a bath. He carried her upstairs, fetching some new pajamas and underwear from the bags in his room and a fresh towel. Entering the bathroom he set her down on the toilet seat, making sure she was awake enough to hold herself upright. Filling the bath he added some bubbles that had been in the back of his cupboard for god knows how long. As the room filled with fragrant steam Gibbs hoisted her back up and headed to the living room - remembering the box of bath toys. Having procured said toys they now found themselves back in the bathroom, bath now fill with bubbles.

Once the sleepy child was undressed she was hastily plonked into the tub, Gibbs was hoping she'd stay awake long enough to have her hair washed and to have a good scrub. He placed a few of the toys in with her - relieved as she seemed to perk up and begin to play with the various ducks around her. She picked up a purple one and ran it along the side of the bath, making it poke against his arm.

"Quack, quack, quack".

"I think your ducks trying to talk don't you pumpkin?"

"Da ducks quacking at you daddy".

"Why's he doing that?"

"Not he daddy, it's a girl ducky! She quacking cos she ikes you".

"She does, does she?"

"Yup".

"Well I like her too".

He began wetting and shampooing her hair, carefully rinsing to stop it getting in her eyes. She happily splashed about, before continuing there conversation.

"Does you ike me too?"

Her question shocked him yet he knew it was asked in the was natural for such young children to ask questions with such obvious answers. Smoothing her hair back and softly applying her conditioner, he answered her honestly.

"Course I like you pumpkin".

"I ikes you too".

He smiled and pressed a kiss to her head, eliciting a smile. Rinsing her conditioner, he moved on to washing her. Rubbing the soap on a flannel he instructed her to close her eyes so he could give her face a good wash. He washed her arms and back before handing the flannel off to her to let her wash the rest of her body.

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Having finally pulled her out of the bath once her skin was wrinkling, they now found themselves in Gibbs room. Zivas pajama clad form settled under the covers, hair plaited into two french braids and ice-cream the bear tucked under her arm. Gibbs sat beside her, tucking her in tightly.

"You want a story before you go to sleep?"

"Yes pease".

Her thumb wondered up to her mouth as she looked up at Gibbs. Ears open ready for her story.

Stroking her hair he began in a soft calming voice, "There once was a bear who lived in a magical forest, the bear was friends with lots of the other animals, but his bestest friend of all was an elephant". Gibbs continued the story, incorporating the things that he knew she liked. He watched as she slowly drifted to dream land, a content smile playing about her lips. Kissing her forehead he softly whispered, "Love you kiddo, sleep tight".

He left the door ajar and the landing light on so that she wouldn't awake alone and in the dark. He quickly cleaned away their rubbish from dinner before collapsing onto the couch. He was shattered, he hadn't realised how draining having a child was. Tomorrow they'd have alot to do, sorting Zivas room and assembling the furniture due to arrive. They'd also need to do a food shop - he couldn't let her live off takeaway. There was alot to do, many changes to be made. He wouldn't change it for a thing though.


	8. Chapter 8

Gibbs took a deep breath, he really didnt want to do this. This was his idea of hell, hence why he rarely ever did it. With Ziva now in his care it was a task that would be frequent for the foreseeable future. Sighing, he grasped his child's hand tighter, pushing back his uneasiness and deciding to get on with it like the marine he was. Grabbing a cart he pushed forward onto the fruit and vegetable aisle. Allowing Ziva to trot along beside him whilst he held her hand, he placed a few of the vegetables he recognised in the cart. A few being carrots and potatoes and a brocoli. If he were being honest he didn't really do vegetables - another thing that would need to change. Grabbing a few salad items he moved onto the fruit. Ziva peered forward, eager to help choosing, her mummy used to let her pick which fruit they bought.

"Daddy, cans i's help pick da fuit?"

Gibbs was relieved, she obviously liked fruit if she wanted to choose, meaning he wouldn't have to battle to get her to eat them.

"Go ahead princess".

She happily ran forward, choosing all of her favourites. He leant on the bar of the cart, happily listening to her as she made her selection.

"We's needs some stawberries, dere yummy. Oh and narnas! Narnas are yummy too. Monkneys eats narnas".

He moved closer, lifting her so she could reach to drop them in the cart. However she was obviously a child who enjoyed fruit as she wasn't finished yet.

"Chewwies, I likes chewwies. Cans we get dem too?"

"Yep".

"Yaaaay! Ans apes. Does dey gots apes?"

Placing the aforementioned cherries in the cart, he wracked his brain to interpret her words. Grapes. That's what she meant.

"Yeah, they do. What colour grapes munchkin".

"Green ones!"

With the fruit she wanted plus some apples for himself safely in the cart, they carried on with their shopping. Gibbs was vaguely aware of many a pair of eyes watching the little girl with him. As well as a few surreptitiously watching him aswell.

One woman that had been watching the pair turned onto the next aisle at the same time as them. This aisle contained tins, leaving a very bored Ziva. The woman noticing the adorable girls apparent boredom decided to approach the pair and start of conversation, plus it would gain the attention of the girls gorgeous father.

"Well aren't you just the most beautiful little girl".

Gibbs had been preoccupied trying to decide what they needed to feed the pair of them for the next fortnight. He turned round at the sound of the womans voice, smiling politely. Ziva moved closer to his leg, hand gripping the hem of his jacket.

"Thankyou ma'am". He remembered his manners, if someone gave a compliment it was polite to thank them. Ziva smiled at the funny word her daddy just used.

"Daddy! Dats a funny word!"

Both adults smiled indulgently, before Gibbs replied, "Its a polite word to say to a woman". Ziva just laughed, it sounded funny and strange, besides it was polite to call a women Miss, not marm. America really did have some funny ways to say things. The woman looked Gibbs up and down, noticing like many other women in the store that he was very handsome.

"You're welcome, how old is she?" The woman fluttered her eyelashes at him after checking for a ring on his finger.

Gibbs inwardly rolled his eyes, it had been a while since a woman had used his kid as a conversation starter in order to flirt with him. Straight to the point he answered, " Shes two, be three in a few months".

"Wow, she seems to speak very well for her age".

"Yup".

Before the woman could continue, Ziva cut them off, realising that her daddy didn't really want to be speaking to this woman.

"Daddy is we dones yet?"

Smirking he replied, "If we get a move on we'll be done soon. Nice speaking to you ma'am".

The woman opened her mouth to try engage the gorgeous man again, but he'd already taken his daughter's hand and sped off to another section of the store.

"Why didnt you likes dat lady daddy?", the perceptive of the question caught him off guard, he hadn't been aware that Ziva had been able to pick up on the fact that he didn't want to converse with the woman.

"What makes you think I didn't like her?"

"Yours voice wasn't nice".

He chuckled at her explanation, he'd been nothing but polite, however his voice hadn't held the warmth it held when speaking to his little girl or his friends. She really was clever, he'd have to keep an eye on that, he didn't want her exposed to situations that weren't supposed to be understood by such a young child. In the hopes of distracting the toddler from the conversation he decided to let her have a treat.

"Hey princess, you wanna go ppick a piece of candy?"

"Yaaaay!", she selected a candy bar, running forward she handed it off to Gibbs. Taking her by the hand, they finished their grocery shop, conversation bubbling between them throughout.

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Tony Dinozzo turned the handle of his bosses front door and stepped forward - only to receive wood hitting flesh. The door was locked. Huh, the boss never locked his door. Sighing he rapped thrice, he supposed with the midget now a permanent resident he'd have to get used to not being able to just walk in whenever he pleased. He heard a key being turned, before the smirking face of his boss appeared in front of him. He looked behind his boss, expecting said midget to be beside him.

"Hey boss, where's the midget?"

"Rocking horse got delivered 'bout ten minutes ago, she won't bother with anything else for a bit yet".

"Which room she in?"

"Living room, haven't even painted her room yet".

"I'll give you a hand later if you want", entering the living room he was met with a swinging horse with a toddler at the saddle, "hey ziva!".

"Toady!", dismounting her horse she ran forward and hugged his legs. Taking his large hand with her own she pulled him towards her horse, reaching out to palm the fur she smiled up at Tony.

"Does you wanna ride it?"

"No im good Ziv, have you asked daddy if he wants a ride on your horse yet?", Tony smirked at Gibbs, knowing he wasn't close enough for a slap. Ziva pulled a shocked face, turning to Gibbs she said, "Sowry daddy! You wanna ride da horsey?"

"No princess, why don't you keep riding, I'll start dinner", glaring at Tony, he continued, "come on toady, ya can help".

"Otay, what's you makin?"

"Spaghetti and meatballs".

"I's likes sgetti! Is toady having dinna too?"

"Yup", Tony glanced at his boss, he'd not thought that he would be welcome to stay for food, he thought he'd come by and lend a hand getting Ziva settled. Seeing the incredulous look Tony was giving him, Gibbs smirked and said so only Tony could hear, "Get used to it Dinozzo, reckon you'll be round here more from now on. Least I could do is feed ya".

Tony gave a cheshire grin, maybe the family that they all viewed themselves as being apart of would become even more so thanks to their shrunken friend. Gibbs had only had Ziva for two days and he was already acting kinder, fatherhood suited him.

As Gibbs and Tony worked together to get dinner done, Ziva played on her rocking horse. With the reins and saddle looking and feeling Like the real thing, it was easy for the little girl to pretend that she was sat upon a real poney. She decided to name it sunny, and her and sunny were on an adventure, riding through the desert. The adventure came to an end however when her daddy called through that dinner was ready. Dismounting she kissed the horses snout, "Good girl sunny!", before running as fast as her feet could carry her towards the delicious smell emanating from the kitchen.

Tony smiled at the sight, her hair had come out of the bobbles, leaving a mane of curls around her head. Sweat sticking a few strands to her forhead. Automatically, without thinking, he reached forward and brushed them back. Smiling at the grateful look that she shot up to stood to the side watching the interaction, he'd always known that Dinozzos fear of children was irrational and that he'd probably be great with a child, which he was proving to be with Ziva. He was a natural really, he managed to engage her in conversation easily whilst taking care of her as an adult should.

Whilst Gibbs dished up, Tony took Ziva over to the sink, lifting her up in order for her to wash her hands before their meal. Then acting like the charming guy he was, he danced/twirled her over to the table, pulling her chair out for her. Bowing he said "my lady", before placing her on the seat and pushing her foward. He pushed her so she was right against the table, allowing her to reach it whilst effectively locking her in place.

"You want juice or water princess?", placing the food on the table Gibbs waited for the drinks orders.

"Duice pease daddy", Ziva swung her legs around, smiling at Tony making faces opposite her.

"Can I have duice too pease?", Tony laughed at the head slap that was delivered, he deserved it for mimicking Zivas toddler speech. Apparently it was only cute when spoken by Ziva. With food and drinks sorted, they all dug in, Tony opposite the two Gibbs. Whilst the adults discussed work and sports, Ziva concentrated on her food, finding the pasta delicious but messy. Trying to eat properly she copied her daddy, trying to spin the pasta around her fork, it wasn't as easy as her daddy was making it look. Each forkfull left a trail of tomatoe sauce around her mouth and down her chin, as well as leaving her with a stained top, much to Tony's amusement. Seeing Tony silently laughing at Ziva, Gibbs shot him a look, warning him not to say anything to her, she was doing extremely well for her age. After a few mouthfuls of pasta, Ziva wanted to try the meatballs, however they were large, even bigger than her mouth. Seeing Zivas dilemma, Gibbs reached over and cut them into smaller bites. She took a mouthful, stating how yummy it was. After half of her food was consumed, she became thirsty and reached for her juice, however her sleeve caught the edge of the cup, knocking it down.

Ziva let out an piercing wail, scared of her daddys reaction. Tony had already jumped up to move Zivas dinner, checking to ensure no juice had gotten into her bowl. Gibbs had grabbed paper towels to mop the mess up, luckily it hadn't spread far and hadn't caught his or Tonys meals - not that either of them had much left on their plates. Gibbs motioned for Tony to take care of Ziva, who was now sobbing whilst saying rather pitifully "Sowry daddy". Tony plucked his shrunken partner up, pulling her close to his chest, seemingly oblivious to the tears and snot that was being added to his clothes. Rubbing soothingly up and down her back he began to pace, softly whispering in her ear, " shhhh, it's ok darling, it was an accident. Shhhh now, it's okay".

Having cleaned all of the juice, Gibbs moved over to the pair, smoothing a hand over his daughters wild curls. Kissing the top of Zivas head, Tony passed her over, heading back to the table to consume the rest of his food. Gibbs, with Ziva curled into his chest, nodded his thanks to Tony, he'd done a good job calming her down. Now it was just hiccups and sniffles.

"Hey now princess, it was an accident, it's okay baby".

"I's nots in twouble?"

"Of course your not sweetheart", he wiped her tears with the pad of his thumb,"you want to finish your food now?". When she nodded in the affirmative, he made a quick pitstop to refill her juice, before retaking his own chair, Ziva seated on his lap. He passed her juice and steadied her hand as she drank, putting it down out of the way. The rest of the meal went by without a hassle, Ziva ate a few more bites before declaring that she was full. She then reclined back against Gibbs chest, his arm encircling her, making her feel safe and most importantly, loved.

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After seeing how good Gibbs was with Ziva and how comfortable he seemed to be playing the father role, Tony realised that he'd probably not had a break from her. Deciding to be a good samaritan for once, he offered to watch her for a while so Gibbs could go work on his boat, or whatever it was the man did to relax. He now found himself rocking a baby doll as Ziva held a plastic stethoscope to his chest. He was pretty sure that it was a vets kit that she was using on him, not that he minded.

"Toady, yous gots ta open your mouth, i's gotta take your tempata".

Over dramatically sticking his tongue out, a thermometer was thrust into his throat, slightly making him gag - much to his nurses amusement.

"How's it look nurse Ziva, think I'm gonna make it?"

She placed her palm on his forehead, pulling the thermometer out.

"Uh-oh! Toady yous gots a bad tempata! Yous gonna need a opunation!"

She collapsed to the floor in a fit of giggles as Tony pretended to faint, dropping her babydoll at the end of the couch. Opening one eye he checked to see what she would do next. She opened her case, pulling out the plastic needle and bandages, as well as what appeared to be operating tools that were luminous green. He smiled as she padded closer, needle at the ready.

"Otay toady, dis will only urt a lickle bit". She softly pressed the 'needle' against his arm, making a soft buzzing sound. He chuckled as she then dragged the plastic 'scalpel' across his torso, " .chop". She then jumped up onto his chest, pearing into his face. Palms on both cheeks, she pressed her nose against his own, looking right into his closed eyes.

"Aaaarrrgggghhhh!"

Ziva jumped a mile as Tony sprung forward, arms trapping her against him, leaving her helpless to the tickle assault he rained down on her. When it got to the point that the little girl was about to pee her pants, he stopped, laying back against the couch, pulling the breathless child with him, still laid against his chest. This was how Gibbs found them after he'd decided that his boat had had enough attention for tonight and his daughter was in need of a bath and bed. Leaning on the door frame he smiled at the sight, glad to see his agent was taking care of his partner - regardless of the situation.

"I think it's somebody's bathtime".

"Oh come on boss! I don't want a bath!", he sat up and winked at the child he was holding.

Gibbs headslapped the still grinning Tony then took Zivas hand and led her upstairs. Calling over his shoulder, "Go make a start on her bedroom, paints already in there. One opposite mine".

"On it boss".

Twenty minutes later Gibbs emerged, pajama clad Ziva in tow. Stopping in the doorway Gibbs was pleased to note that Tony had done the first coat on one half of the largest wall.

"Is it bedtime for you now Ziv?"

Ziva sleepily nodded affirmatively, a tired smile gracing her cherub chops. Moving forward he pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead, "night night, don't let the bed bugs bite".

"Night toady", she reached for him, softly hugging him before been whisked off to bed by Gibbs. Watching as the bedroom door closed behind them, Tony couldn't help but think how lucky Gibbs was to have her.

**There you go folks! Don't forget to leave me a review!**


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